Children's Issues

This section lists sites related to general children's issues including adoption, child advocacy, custody, support, child abuse, neglect, and juvenile justice.
Last updated March 2009

CHILDREN: GENERAL 

• American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law 
http://www.abanet.org/child/home.html 
The Center addresses a broad spectrum of law and court-related topics affecting children. A variety of publications are available from the Center Material link and the ABA Resources links. Researchers also have access to current news, center articles and links to related resources. Of particular interest to pre-law and law students, the website provides a section captioned “Finding A Career in Children’s Law” under the “Resources” tab detailing steps one might take to gain valuable exposure to Child Advocacy. 

• Children's Defense Fund 
http://www.childrensdefense.org/ 
The CDF is involved in research, public education campaigns, budget and policy advocacy, and coalition building to improve children health and welfare. Researchers and children advocates have access to the Center press releases, research data, webstore, and links to related sites. 

• Children Now 
http://www.childrennow.org/ 
Children Now is a research and action organization dedicated to improving children lives and assuring that children grow up in economically secure families. It offers researchers publications, news releases, and links to child welfare related Websites. 

• Children's Rights Council 
http://www.crckids.org/ 
The CRC is a national non-profit organization that works to assure children meaningful and continuing contact with both their parents and extended family. It is involved in public policy research, organization outreach, and public relations on behalf of children advocacy. Information is available on topics such as families, children, matrimony and divorce. 

• Child Trends 
http://www.childtrends.org/ 
The Child Trends web site contains statistical information on: child well-being; marriage; and welfare and poverty. 

• Children's Welfare League of America 
http://www.cwla.org/ 
The CWLA is an association that assists abused and neglected children and their families with a wide range of services. It advocates legislation and is committed to activities that provide equality services that protect children and youth. Researchers are offered news, research data and publication information n such matters as child abuse and neglect, health, drug usage, economic conditions, and governmental spending for children. 

• The Future of Children 
http://www.futureofchildren.org/ 
The Future of Children promotes policies and programs for children. The online journal, The Future of Children, examines topics of importance to children from a multidisciplinary perspective. Other information offered includes figures and tables, recent Princeton and Brookings Research, press releases and an email newsletter. The web site can be searched by keyword, journal title, and/or author. 

• Action Alliance for Children (AAC) 
http://www.4children.org/ 
AAC is a resource for policy makers, children's service providers and advocates. The website includes an online journal with articles discussing welfare reform, domestic violence, childcare, and children health. 

ADOPTION: 

•   Adoption Codes and Statutes 
http://www.plumsite.com/shea/ 
This site advocates the right of adopted individuals to know their real identities. It provides adoptees with search information, state adoption law information, and legal and activist information. The information and links are extensive. 

•   Legal Information Institute at Cornell: Adoption Law Materials 
http://www.law.cornell.edu/topics/adoption.html 
This site provides an overview of the topic of adoption and, offers hyperlinks to primary and secondary law concerning adoption. 

• U.S. State Department International Child Abduction Adoption Page 
http://travel.state.gov/ 
The Children and Family Home link on this site offers general information and assistance regarding international adoption, international abduction, international family issues, and a FAQ from the Office of Children Issues. 

• Department of Health & Human Services 
http://www.hhs.gov/resource/index.html 
The Department of Health and Human Services is the principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans. This webpage contains information to help you improve your health, the health of your loved ones, and to assist those who need help with daily life. All of the topics open-up to display man links to helpful information, including a link to: http://www.childwelfare.gov/adoption/ 

ADVOCACY FOR CHILDREN: 

•   American Bar Association Steering Committee on the Unmet Legal Needs of Children 
http://www.abanet.org/unmet/home.html 
The Steering Committee encourages activities on behalf of children by ABA entities and promotes outreach by the organized bar to government officials and policy makers to address the ongoing problems faced by children. A search engine is available to search the entire site for programs, activities, and resources. The website also provides a couple of helpful sections for parents, child advocates, law enforcement officers, and teens pertaining to Detection and Prevention of Teen Dating Violence. 

•   National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association 
http://www.casanet.org/ 
CASA Association mission is to speak for the best interests of abused and neglected children who are involved in the juvenile courts. This is a useful site for guardians ad litem or court -appointed special advocates. Information is available on program services, management, and grants. The References link provides researchers with information on public policy and the law for children advocates. 

CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT: 

•   Child Abuse Prevention Network 
http://child-abuse.com/ 
The Child Abuse Prevention Network is dedicated to the prevention of child abuse. Users can subscribe to the Child Fatality Review and an electronic newsletter. This is an extremely useful site for information on the prevention of child abuse. 

•   National Center for Missing and Exploited Children 
http://www.missingkids.org/ 
NCMEC was established as a private, nonprofit organization to provide nationwide services for families and professionals in the prevention of abducted, endangered, and sexually exploited children. It offers topical information for parents & guardians, law enforcement, attorneys and the media regarding missing children, sexual exploitation, child safety, Megan law, statistics, and FAQs. This is a highly regarded resource center for child protection. 

•   Administration for Children and Families (ACF) 
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/ 
ACF, within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is responsible for federal programs that promote the economic and social well-being of families, children, individuals, and communities. Resources pertaining to adoption, parenting, domestic violence, etc. are available under the Services link. 

CHILD CUSTODY AND SUPPORT: 

•   Professional Academy of Custody Evaluators 
http://www.pace-custody.org/ 
PACE is a private, nonprofit organization devoted to registering custody evaluators and disseminating information concerning the education, training, and experience of registered evaluators. The site provides a state-by-state directory of custody evaluators and includes an archive of newsletter articles concerning custody and information on materials and resources to be used in evaluating custody. 

•   National Electronic Child Support Resource System 
http://ocse.acf.hhs.gov/necsrs/ 
NECSRS is an electronic system that aids child support professionals and the public by facilitating rapid access of child support enforcement resource materials. NECSRS identifies and indexes Federal, State, and Tribal resource materials. 

• Support Guidelines.com 
http://www.supportguidelines.com/ 
SupportGuidelines.com is a resource designed to aid attorneys in interpreting and applying child support guidelines in the United States. The site offers digests of recent cases concerning child support, monthly articles, reviews of books and an assortment of links to relevant resources available on the web. 


JUVENILE JUSTICE: 

• National Criminal Justice Reference Service - Juvenile Justice Statistics 
http://virlib.ncjrs.org/JuvenileJustice.asp 
This site offers full text documents and fact sheets about juvenile courts, delinquency prevention, gangs, violence and victims, corrections, and missing and exploited children, as well as links to other Websites and to discussion groups. 

• National Center for Youth Law (NCYL) 
http://www.youthlaw.org/ 
NCYL is a private, non-profit law office serving the legal needs of children and their families. The website includes articles, the latest news in youth law, and pending litigation. 


• Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) 
http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org/ 
OJJDP provides national leadership, coordination, and resources to prevent and respond to juvenile delinquency and victimization. Information for researchers includes an e-news service, resources on all aspects of juvenile delinquency, child care worker certification, fact sheets on gangs, corrections, delinquency prevention, and grant information.